China's marine economy posts steady growth in 2025, topping 11 trillion yuan

China

China's marine economy posts steady growth in 2025, topping 11 trillion yuan

2026-03-14 22:21 Last Updated At：03-15 02:17

China's Gross Marine Product (GMP) exceeded 11 trillion yuan (about 1.6 trillion US dollars) in 2025, up 5.5 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Data from the ministry show that in 2025, China's marine GDP was close to 11.02 trillion yuan, accounting for 7.9 percent of national GDP, 0.1 percentage points higher than the previous year.

Traditional marine industries developed steadily and rapidly, the data showed. The supply capacity of marine aquatic products continued to strengthen. The production of marine crude oil and natural gas increased by 3.4 percent and 17.0 percent year on year, respectively. Newly received orders, completed orders and order backlogs for seagoing vessels all maintained an international market share of above 50 percent, ranking first in the world for 16 consecutive years. The integration of marine culture and tourism was particularly notable, with the number of cruise passengers increasing by 25.3 percent year on year.

Emerging marine industries continued to improve in quality and efficiency, according to the release. The added value of the marine engineering equipment manufacturing industry increased by 10.2 percent year on year; innovative achievements in marine biomedicine and biological products continued to emerge rapidly. The offshore wind power market continued to expand, with the newly added grid-connected capacity increasing by more than 60 percent year on year, and the direct utilization of seawater continued to grow steadily.

The capacity to ensure the supply of marine resources has been steadily strengthened, said the ministry. A total of 372,000 hectares of new sea and island use areas were approved during the year, involving investments exceeding 921.8 billion yuan, effectively guaranteeing the sea and island use requirements of projects in the fisheries, oil and gas, and wind power sectors.

"The 15th Five-Year Plan outlines a systematic plan for marine development, utilization and protection. The Ministry of Natural Resources will place greater emphasis on innovation-driven development, efficient collaboration, industrial upgrading, harmony between humanity and the sea, and win-win cooperation, striving to promote high-quality development of the marine economy," said Meng Qinglei, deputy director of the Marine Strategic Planning and Economics Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources.

At least 6 killed, more than a dozen wounded in Pakistani airstrikes on Afghanistan: officials

Pakistani warplanes struck several locations across Afghanistan on Thursday night and Friday, killing at least six people, including a woman and a child, and wounding more than a dozen others, local officials said.

The strikes hit a fuel depot near the country's Kandahar Airport, areas in the capital Kabul, and the eastern Nangarhar Province.

A Pakistani security source said the strikes targeted hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

In Kabul's 21st police district, one of the areas hit, a market was left in ruins. Several cars were destroyed, and windows of buildings in the market and nearby areas were shattered. A crater caused by the Pakistani airstrikes was also visible.

"This is my car. I had parked it here, and it was the only way I could bring food to my family's table. It was my sole source of income and my only means of employment. Now my car is in this condition, and I have no other way to provide for my family," said Mohamad Ghulam, a taxi driver.

The airstrikes destroyed a house, killing four members of a single family. More than a dozen other households in the area reported their homes either fully or partially destroyed.

One of the victims was 22-year-old Hedayatullah, who had just been married. He was killed alongside his pregnant wife, as well as his brother and sister.

"Hedayatullah got married nine months ago. His brother was 18 years old. He himself was 22 years old, he also had a 12-year-old sister, and his wife was about 19 years old and was pregnant," said Ghulam Sakhi, a relative of the victims.

"This neighbor of ours was a family of five. Their mother was not present at the moment of the bombardment, but the rest of them lost their lives. It was Hedayatuallah's family. From my own family, two of my daughters, my sister-in-law, my brother, and two nieces got injured," said Mohamad Homayoun, a survivor.

In the past weeks, scores of people from both sides have been killed or injured in the conflict between Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, according to officials from the two countries.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has called for an immediate halt to cross-border clashes, warning that the escalating violence is driving a surge in civilian casualties and deepening a humanitarian crisis.